Friday, 24 July 2026

Kenya lags in electric car adoption, according to CleanTechnica. The outlet described the country as one of those falling behind on passenger EV uptake.

The electric bus segment tells a different story. CleanTechnica reported that Kenya's electric bus sector has seen significant activity, driven by pay-as-you-drive programs it described as energy-as-a-service channels.

The divergence sits within a national market where car electrification has been slow to take hold.

Plug-in electric vehicles took 41.4% of the UK new car market in Q2 2026, up from 34.2% in the same quarter a year earlier, according to CleanTechnica.

Overall auto volume in the quarter reached 523,075 units, a rise of around 13% year on year, CleanTechnica reported.

Battery electric vehicle share grew decently year on year, while plug-in hybrid share grew modestly, according to CleanTechnica.

Tesla was the best-selling BEV brand in the UK during the quarter, CleanTechnica said.

Thailand is reviewing a 24-billion-baht EV adoption programme that could replace up to 80,000 older vehicles with electric models, according to electrive. The subsidy under consideration is worth around USD 714 million, electrive reported, and would target the same replacement of up to 80,000 older vehicles.

Battery-electric vehicle sales in the country rose sharply last year. The Thai Industrial Federation reported that 120,301 battery-electric vehicles were sold in 2025, an 80% increase over the previous year. Those sales gave BEVs a 19.4% share of Thailand's total market of 621,166 vehicles in 2025, according to electrive citing the same data.

Separately, BMW confirmed it will manufacture the Neue Klasse i3 and iX3 at its San Luis Potosi plant in Mexico from 2027, according to electrive. The company is investing EUR 800 million to expand the site, with more than EUR 500 million allocated to a new high-voltage battery assembly centre.

The expansion adds more than 110,000 square metres to the plant, electrive reported, with the new battery facility covering more than 80,000 square metres to assemble sixth-generation battery packs.

Plugin electric vehicles captured 34.5% of the French auto market in Q2 2026, up from 23.9% a year earlier, according to CleanTechnica.

CleanTechnica reported that battery electric vehicle share grew strongly year over year, while plug-in hybrid share was slightly down.

Overall auto volume in France reached 457,688 units in the quarter, up about 6% year over year, according to CleanTechnica.

The Tesla Model Y was the best-selling battery electric vehicle in France during the quarter, CleanTechnica said.

The Scottish Government has announced almost £2 million in new funding to help the country's haulage sector prepare for electrification, according to electrive.

The package combines £1 million for small- and medium-sized fleet transition planning with £900,000 for skills development to support the shift away from diesel, electrive reported.

Within the fleet planning strand, the SME Fleet Analysis Support fund provides up to £15,000 to small and medium-sized enterprises to help them plan their fleet transition and identify suitable zero-emission technologies, according to electrive.

The £900,000 allocation funds the next phase of the Zero Emission Heavy Duty Vehicle Skills Challenge Fund, which supports training providers, colleges and industry organisations developing the skills required to maintain and operate battery-electric and hydrogen-powered heavy-duty vehicles.

Stephen Flynn, the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Tourism and Transport, said reducing emissions from heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) is essential to delivering the Climate Change Plan but cannot be done without the required skills.

Volkswagen opened orders for the ID. Cross in Germany with the ID. Cross Life priced at €36,525, falling to €34,025 after a €2,500 purchase incentive on the 155 kW variant, according to electrive.

The higher-equipped ID. Cross Style is listed at €39,110, according to electrive. A €3,500 purchase incentive available for that model cuts the final price to €35,610.

At launch the ID. Cross runs a 155 kW front-wheel-drive powertrain paired with an NMC battery of 52 kWh usable capacity, electrive reported.

Volkswagen states a WLTP range of up to 427 km, according to electrive. Maximum DC charging power reaches 105 kW, with a 10 to 80% charge taking 24 minutes.

The €27,995 entry-level price communicated at the initial presentation is not yet available at order start, according to electrive. That price applies to the base Trend version, which the configurator shows as orderable only from mid-October.

Volkswagen plans to expand the range with variants rated at 85 and 99 kW, electrive reported. Both will use a smaller LFP battery of 37 kWh and support a maximum DC charging power of 90 kW.

The ID. Cross measures 4.15 metres in length, making it around ten centimetres longer and five centimetres taller than the ID. Polo, according to electrive.

Hyundai Motor Group has launched AllDayEnergy, a single global identity that brings together its vehicle-to-everything (V2X) services, according to CleanTechnica.

The brand integrates Smart Charging (V1G), Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) and Vehicle-to-Home (V2H) services under one global identity, CleanTechnica reported.

Rollout will begin with V1G smart charging in the United Kingdom, delivered first via the Kia App in H2 2026, according to CleanTechnica.

NHTSA turned down a request to launch a defect investigation into the concealed manual door releases fitted to the Tesla Model 3, according to Electrek. The rejection applies to 179,031 model year 2022 Model 3 vehicles.

Tesla owner Kevin Clouse lodged the petition on November 7, 2025, Electrek reported. Clouse contended that the Model 3's emergency egress controls for the mechanical door release are not readily accessible and clearly identifiable, breaching federal safety standard FMVSS 206.

By March 13, 2026, the agency had logged just one consumer complaint tied to a concealed or unlabeled manual release and an entrapment risk, and that complaint came from Clouse's own VIN, according to Electrek.

NHTSA said the issues raised do not point to the likelihood of a safety related defect that would justify a defect investigation, adding that the matter is better handled through rulemaking.

On November 4, 2025, a second petition reached NHTSA's Office of Rulemaking, seeking a new federal standard that would require a robust and obvious door egress system in all motor vehicles, Electrek reported. The agency granted that request.

In September 2025, NHTSA had opened an investigation into Model Y door handles after parents reported children trapped in the back seat once the 12-volt system failed, according to Electrek.

Congress introduced the SAFE Exit Act in January, citing 15 deaths linked to door-handle access, Electrek reported.

Audi priced its A2 e-tron from EUR 38,200, roughly USD 44,000, in Germany, according to Electrek. That places the entry-level electric model close to EUR 10,000 under the Q4 e-tron, which opens at EUR 47,500, Electrek reported.

The A2 e-tron carries a WLTP range reaching 403 miles, or 649 km, per Electrek. Four power outputs will be on offer: 125 kW, 140 kW, 170 kW and 240 kW.

Three battery packs are expected across the lineup, sized at 50 kWh, 58 kWh and 79 kWh, Electrek reported.

Audi CEO Gernot Döllner said the model is meant to ease entry into the Audi brand, according to Electrek.

The A2 badge predates the electric car. Audi sold more than 175,000 A2 units between 2000 and 2005, then halted production after five years when demand trailed expectations, according to Electrek.